Wash Your Hands Like a Nurse

Learn how to wash your hands like a nurse, the silver linings associated with the current state of affairs and a fun fact about germs.

The 1st doctor to promote handwashing was eventually committed to an asylum because the concept that something invisible could kill people literally sounded "crazy." The story gets a little more complicated because we do not know if he had other co-existing conditions that led to his decline. However, what is clear is that his promotion of handwashing was not taken seriously and he was mocked for this and for cleaning surgical instruments before use. 

​But, think about it, had we not been taught about germs and someone was talking about invisible things all over the environment that you could not see, touch, smell or taste and that could harm or even kill you, how would you respond? It does sound irrational given the context. If you are curious to learn more about the Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis who tried to promote handwashing click here for a neat article by NPR. 

Since we know better now about the impact of germs, I am reaching out to share some more resources to help support your wellness and the health of your teaching studio. It's hard to escape the prominence of promoting handwashing right now and for good reasons. Handwashing, when done properly, removes pathogens (pathogen is the fancy word for describing germs that harm us). ​

Violinists are known for loving technique so I made the short video below for all of you combining my violinistic love of technique with my training as a registered nurse.

​Handwashing is so important in healthcare that I have been tested on my handwashing skills. I feel strongly about handwashing because I had to learn the hard way. Back in 2015, I contracted pneumonia which led to a $5,000 ER bill and 3 weeks of lost work revenue. It was at that point that I started taking my health and the health of my studio more seriously by implementing handwashing policies.

As unsettling as a time period like this can be, there are also silver linings and one of the biggest is that we are all connecting with our value systems. It is startlingly clear that health is one of our most important resources. May this time period be a way to honor the miracle we live in and commit to taking care of our health as best as we can.

If you need some additional resources:

The M4YV store is always open!

The YouTube channel is full of creative clips to help teach technique :)

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